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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29423601">A Testament</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg'>babywarg (morphaileffect)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, One Shot, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:54:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29423601</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/morphaileffect/pseuds/babywarg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony asks Wong and Cloakie for Stephen's hand in marriage.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>115</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Testament</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Based on a gorgeous Tumblr ask that goes: "Tony being a nervous wreck and trying to ask for Wong and Levi's blessing to marry Stephen."</p><p>Thanks for the great prompt, anon ♥ Happy Valentine's Day!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony wanted to propose to Stephen properly.</p><p>And to do it properly, there was just one major hurdle:</p><p>Well, two.</p><p>And they both sat in front of him, staring him down.</p><p>One of them had arms, and a chest to fold them on. His stoic face projected a dislike that came across to Tony as a brick wall - not something easily broken down.</p><p>The other had no arms, chest, or face...yet there it was, partly hanging in the air and partly “seated” beside the other, conveying pure, unbridled skepticism. Tony had to ask himself <em>HOW?!?!</em></p><p>These were the only two beings whose respect and trust he needed to earn. But Tony found himself wishing for actual human parents, instead. Humans were easier to impress; show up in a fancy car, for starters, casually mention the dozens of houses you’ve bought in upscale areas of the East Coast <em>alone</em> - that was usually enough to convince any human family that you had the means to keep the person you love comfortable and well-fed.</p><p>Although, Tony had to admit, if the person you loved was <em>not</em> a normal human being, it would follow that his family wouldn’t be a normal, easily impressed human family, either. For one thing, this family knew as well as Tony did that Stephen, being a Master of the Mystic Arts - probably the cleverest and most powerful one in the universe, certainly in the running to be this dimension’s Sorcerer Supreme - was perfectly capable of keeping himself comfortable and well-fed.</p><p>Their only concern was if the person who wanted to marry Stephen could make him happy.</p><p>And that was why they were <em>very</em> skeptical of Tony.</p><p>Tony decided to address the one who actually had lips, and could answer him:</p><p>“Why do you hate me, Wong.”</p><p>In the back of his head, he knew this was the wrong foot to start on. But when faced with an intimidating situation, Tony always just kicked the door in and long-jumped into a room, without caring which foot hit the floor first.</p><p>He’d meant to respectfully ask <em>Why do you not like it that I’m asking you for Stephen’s hand in marriage?</em> But the sassy, irreverent part of him simply worked way too well with his anxiety.</p><p>“Let’s see.” Wong held up a menacing forefinger. “One: I don’t like how you flaunt your money.”</p><p>Tony blinked. Money...was a good thing, wasn’t it? Did Wong honestly have a problem with seeing it thrown around?</p><p>“Is it,” he tentatively asked, “is it because you’re poor?”</p><p>“Two,” Wong interrupted, bringing his hand down - clearly not caring to elaborate. “You and Stephen have nothing in common. You inhabit different worlds, and it’s a given that one will tire of the other sooner.”</p><p>An essay already formed in Tony’s mind about how to refute this, and he opened his mouth to speak -</p><p>But the cape - sorry, CLOAK - moved to cross its “arms” and “legs,” and Tony was immediately distracted.</p><p>As if it wasn’t intimidating enough at the onset, it had to look like an invisible disapproving uncle suddenly wore it and started <em>glaring</em> at him.</p><p>And taking advantage of his distracted state, Wong continued:</p><p>“<em>Three</em>” - and wow, the <em>emphasis</em> on that particular number - “you have a reputation for giving in to carnal temptations, something that should be no concern for a Master of the Mystic Arts. You’ve been known to change lovers as easily as you change clothes. And if you <em>make</em> that a concern of his, you make <em>yourself</em> a concern of ours.”</p><p>Ah. That was why the emphasis.</p><p>This was something that every family feared:</p><p>That the person looking to marry their beloved family member had dick for brains and would not be faithful.</p><p>Would only break their heart.</p><p>Tony liked to think he was prepared to answer this particular, <em>common</em> concern...but he found himself tongue-tied all the same.</p><p>He wondered if there was magic involved in it. Did they cast a spell on him, to make it difficult to lie? Or to make it difficult to <em>speak</em>, per se, so that he would have to struggle to get every word out, just to prove his love for Stephen Strange?</p><p>He decided not to ask just yet. He took his time. Took a deep breath.</p><p>And then...</p><p>“Okay, first,” he said quietly, hands folded as if in prayer in front of his face, “I only ‘flaunt’ my wealth to keep up with appearances. I know it doesn’t fit in with your starving monk lifestyle or whatever, so this may be hard for you to process, but it’s important for me to <em>look</em> prosperous. It’s my <em>brand</em>. It’s what other people expect to see - especially other rich people, with whom I do business.” He spread out his hands. “I could just as easily live in a cabin in the woods with Stephen, living off the land, hunter-gathering, and some such. The only important thing is that I’m with him.“ After a second’s thought, he added, “It would have to be beside a lake, though. With a study. That is also a condensed robotics lab. With billions of dollars’ worth of nanotech in it.”</p><p>“Mrmph,” Wong remarked. The Cloak shook its head - or, rather, its tall collar.</p><p>“Second.” Okay, Tony acknowledged this was probably going badly. But the metaphorical brakes were off and he had no idea how to put them back on. (If Stephen were present, he might know how - but the whole point was for Tony to meet his “parents” prior to the actual proposal, so that implementation would go without a hitch.) “I grant you that, about the different worlds. It’s a legitimate fear, for someone in your position.” He scratched his head. “To be honest...I’m scared, too. Can you believe that? This might not last. The only things we really have in common are our love of learning and our massive egos. We may find we’re too different in the end and separate. Divorce is going to be messy, we’ll end up fighting over our kids for years, the lack of prenup’s going to be an issue...”</p><p>Hold it, Tony, hold it. If you're aiming to sell yourself to Stephen’s family, this wasn’t the way to do it. He could see the increasingly dismayed Cloak facepalming. <em>Facepalming</em>. Without a palm or an actual <em>face</em>.</p><p>Wong, on the other hand, remained stoic as ever. Although the permanent frown on his face just got a bit deeper.</p><p>“But see,” Tony sighed, “different was what worked for us? I don’t think I would’ve been so drawn to him if I knew every single thing about him. Like if I knew how magic or neurosurgery worked, or whatever. And he wouldn’t have even given me the time of day if - ” He choked on that line of reasoning; Stephen <em>literally</em> knew everything about him. And if Stephen wanted to know about AI or nanotech, he could learn it overnight.</p><p>So, that was a dead end.</p><p>And his two listeners knew it.</p><p>Wong’s eyebrow rose sharply. The Cloak leaned forward with interest.</p><p>Tony cleared his throat.</p><p>“- er,” he began again, “what I’m saying is, I don’t know Stephen’s ins and outs. I don’t have to. He doesn’t have to know mine either, although he could,” he hastened to add. “We don’t have to have anything in common. It’s not so much the mystery, but how much we <em>complement</em> each other that I’m drawn to. He’s <em>not</em> like me, not by a long shot, and that’s fine. Maybe he doesn’t even need me in his life.”</p><p>Saying it aloud gave him pause. He’d always thought this, but it was the first time he’d ever said it.</p><p>But it seemed to be the right thing to say. Wong relaxed a bit, and it seemed the Cloak chuckled - if that was what the discreet shaking of its shoulders was supposed to signify.</p><p>“But I need him in mine,” Tony softly continued. “I like to think I bring something he wants into his life, and that’s why he keeps me around. I plan to figure out what that ‘something’ is eventually, so I can consciously keep giving it to him, every day, for as long as I can.”</p><p>Tony hadn’t planned to be so cheesy, but the words just tumbled out. It always felt good, elaborating on how much Stephen meant to him - no matter if he’d done it with Rhodey, and Steve, and Pepper, and Natasha...and pretty much all of his closest friends.</p><p>There was just a bit more at stake, this time, because Stephen’s spiritual guardians were the ones in the audience.</p><p>Magic must be involved here, Tony decided.</p><p>The painless, exhilarating kind.</p><p>“Which brings me to point number three...” Tony swallowed. His throat was getting dry. Out of nervousness or sheer talkativeness, he couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t as if this had happened to him a lot of times in the past.</p><p>“...I’ve been in love with Stephen for years. And at this point, I just can’t imagine myself moving forward without him. I don’t want to think of how long we’ll last - but I <em>definitely</em> don’t want to think about how much longer we can last, not belonging to each other. Whether we last only a year, or ten years, or maybe another fifty or a hundred - I plan to cherish each and every second. Just like I’ve cherished all the time we’ve had to ourselves, up to now.”</p><p>When he was done, it felt as if he was out of breath. He sat silently, waiting for a reaction.</p><p>Wong and the Cloak glanced at each other.</p><p>Then Wong slapped his knees, and got up to his feet.</p><p>“Okay.” He was addressing the Cloak. “You got all that?”</p><p>The Cloak nodded, twirled around once, as if showing off.</p><p>Tony blinked.</p><p>“Wha - ”</p><p>“Thank you for your words.” Wong clasped both hands in front of his stomach - seeming to Tony much like a respectable bouncer getting ready to throw someone out of a club. “I believe it would make a good wedding gift. Or blackmail material. Depending on how things play out, up to the date of the actual union.”</p><p>“Words? Gift? Blackmail?” Tony got to his feet as well, eyes wide and unblinking now.</p><p>Wong rolled his eyes and sighed.</p><p>“And you’re supposed to be a genius,” he scoffed. “The Cloak is an ancient relic. In its millennia of existence, it has recorded much of the history of humanity. Everything it witnesses, it can recount to the smallest detail to its wielder - who, in this case, is Stephen.”</p><p>So...Tony had been speaking of his love for Stephen all this time...to a magical recording machine...that was somehow keyed in to Stephen’s DNA?</p><p>Albeit a highly judgmental one.</p><p>“You didn’t cast any spells on me, did you?” Tony asked, side-eyeing both the recording relic and person who thought it was a great idea to bring the recording relic to the occasion, because it was “like Stephen’s family, too.” “Like...truth-telling spells, and such?”</p><p>“If we did,” Wong said nonchalantly, “would you even be aware of it?”</p><p>Tony pursed his lips. Good point, good point.</p><p>“But...why would you - ”</p><p>“When you said you wanted to meet with me to ask for my blessing to marry Stephen, I thought it was one of the most ridiculous things I’d ever heard...therefore it merited documentation,” Wong confessed, smiling in a rare display of genuine amusement. “Stark. Stephen is, how do you say it nicely - a grown-ass man. Not to mention the Master of a Sanctum that is sacred to mystics all over the world. One presumes that means he’s capable of making <em>some</em> smart decisions.” In a slightly softer tone, he continued, “Just ask him to marry you, and if he thinks it’s a good idea, he’ll say yes. Our opinion is immaterial.”</p><p>“It is not immaterial,” Tony quickly argued. “Stephen loves you, and I know you love Stephen, too. I want the people who love Stephen to know he’s loved."</p><p>"We already know that, Stark. Anyone who's seen you two together knows that," Wong said with a note of kindness. "If Stephen says yes to you, he'll be saying yes to someone who cares for him deeply, maybe more than he does for himself."</p><p>Aaand how does Tony react to unexpected kindness?</p><p>By being obnoxious.</p><p>"What do you mean 'if' he says yes? He won't say no, I mean, look who’s asking.” He gestured to himself. The Cloak looked for the briefest of seconds like it wanted to slap him upside the head.</p><p>Wong grunted.</p><p>“You’re right, Stark, we do love Stephen,” he grumbled. “And it is because of this, that I am not throwing you, arrogant ass first, out of the Sanctum.”</p><p>Tony knew how to take a hint. Before turning to leave, he graciously said, “Thank you for your blessing, Wong.”</p><p>“Mrmph,” Wong muttered again, with a little less bile than the first time he did it. “Just take good care of him, Stark.”</p>
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